The Oldendorf-Horn Building

The Oldendorf-Horn Building. 116 North Main Street. , This property, located at 116 North Main Street, dates back to the year 1843. Not much is known about its original owners, John H. and Mariah Pirtle. They sold the building to Thomas Singleton on June 13, 1843 for two hundred and thirty-five dollars. A few years later, in 1846, Jacob Oldendorf purchased the property for one hundred and twenty-five dollars. Jacob came to the area from Germany as a young man in 1837. In this building, with his brother George, he operated “Oldendorph Brothers,” an iron plow and wagon shop. Jacob invented an iron plowshare that was a specialty in its day. In 1847, he built a home for himself just north of this building, which still stands today. This property remained in the Oldendorf family for over 60 years, until Jacob passed away in 1906., After Jacob Oldendorf passed away, his heirs sold the property at a public auction. George A. Crocker was the high bidder and purchased 116 North Main for thirty-one hundred dollars. It is unknown as to what the property was used for during the time the Crocker’s owned it. George Crocker and his wife Annie sold the property in 1919 to Theodore Horn., In December of 1930, John G. Horn was deeded the property from Theodore and his wife Lizzie. However, Edward C. Horn, son of Theodore, took John to court and the court ordered the property to be sold at public auction on April 29, 1939. John remained the owner of the property, as he was the high-bidder, paying five thousand, five hundred and twenty dollars. Under his ownership, John ran an auto dealership here for many years. After John passed away, his wife Louise kept the building in her name and was a property owner to several businesses. One of which was the Waterloo Launderama, owned by Charles E., Charles R. and Dr. Robert Rayot., In March of 1968, the laundromat was destroyed by a natural gas explosion. It was determined there was a build-up of gas that was leaking from a break in the gas main under the street, and it was entering the building through the underground lines. The explosion was caused when a spark from a water heater or a light from one of the dryers ignited the gas build-up. There were no injuries during the explosion, thanks to a man warning people to stay away. He was drying towels that suddenly burst into flames. The south brick wall of the building came down from the impact of the explosion, but most of the damage was in the basement. Fire destroyed five new washing machines and replacement parts that were stored there. This was the second major gas explosion in the City of Waterloo’s business district in only two years’ time., After the gas explosion, the building was completely renovated, moving the main entrance from the center of the building to the right, filling in most of the large window space with bricks and giving the building a new slanted roof. After Louise Horn passed away, her daughter Adele Valentine inherited the property. Ted and Allison Kirkpatrick became the owners of the property on March 1, 2000 and in 2009, Darrell and Jane Gaitsch took ownership of the property. For many years, the space was home to the Edgar Zimmer Law Office. Currently, the office space is home to Edward Jones financial advisor, Stacy Butler.